2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)

Admission Requirements

The normal requirements for admission to the graduate program in pharmaceutical sciences include a bachelor of arts or science degree from an accredited institution, as well as an academic record which satisfies the minimum admission requirements established by the CU Graduate School. Admissions are for the fall semester only.

An undergraduate degree in pharmacy, chemistry, biology, or chemical engineering is excellent preparation for graduate training in pharmaceutical sciences; however, no specific undergraduate major is required. All applicants for the program should have completed a year of study in the following subjects: general chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, biology, and physics. In addition, courses in the following subjects will be highly recommended to supplement the student’s background: biochemistry, statistics, cell biology, physical chemistry, computer science, and immunology. Under special circumstances, deficiencies in important areas may be made up within the first year after entrance into the program.

Normally, admission to the program will be dependent upon an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Students applying with a GPA less than 3.0 may be considered individually on a provisional basis. If you do not have a degree from a U.S. or Canadian institution, your official transcript will be evaluated by the Office of International Affairs.

The admission deadline for completed applications to be received at the School of Pharmacy is Dec. 1. Given that admission to the program is very competitive, it is impossible to evaluate your qualifications for admission (test scores, grades) until the selection committee assesses the entire applicant pool.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete the following requirements:

  • Two Research Rotations in Fall/Spring semesters of 1st year (PHSC 7650; 1-3 credits each)
  • Seminar in Pharmaceutical Sciences in each semester (PHSC 7568; 2 credits/Fall/Spring/1st-3rd Year only)
  • Ethical Issues in Toxicology & Pharmaceutical Sciences (PHSC 7400 - 1 credit)
PHSC 7310Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Sciences I3
PHSC 7320Physical Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences3
PHSC 7330Development of Drugs and Biologics3
Other Science Courses Commonly Taken:
PHSC 7328Computational Design in Drug Discovery3
PHSC 7340Molecular Biophysics and Enzymology2
TXCL 7452Introduction to Clinical Pharmacology3
TXCL 7353Immunology: Immunotoxicology and Immunopharmacology2
PHSC 7565Applied Statistics for Pharm Science and Toxicology2
STBB/PHSC 7608Molecular Interactions3
STBB/PHSC 7609Biophysics & Spectroscopy1.5
PHSC 7651Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (Crosslisted with CU Boulder as CHEN 5838)3
PHSC 7653Protein Formulation2
PHSC 7660Liposome-based Drug Delivery2
PHSC 7665Pharmacokinetic Principles & Applications3
PHSC 7345Nanotechnology & Drug Delivery2
PHSC 8990Doctoral Thesis1-10